As he has from the beginning of this odyssey, Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman has been out front on the Everett Golson transfer news. Releasing Golson’s original statement and getting the first comments out of the former Notre Dame quarterback, Feldman is back at it, talking with Golson about the thought process that led him to pick Florida State.

The quotes, as you may have guessed are quite interesting. As Golson trains in San Diego, interestingly still working with Irish slot receiver Amir Carlisle, it’s clear that the change to a different program is still one that takes getting used to.

“I’m still wearing Notre Dame stuff. It’s something that’s pretty crazy right now for me to adjust to, but I do think it was best for me,” Golson told Fox Sports. “I just needed a fresh start. It was me sitting down and thinking, ‘OK, where do I feel the most comfortable?’ It was nothing to knock Notre Dame. I just had to put myself in the best position possible.”

Finding that “best position possible” wasn’t easy.

Golson acknowledged that some of the SEC destinations were tougher to consider because of the conference bylaw that required a waiver process. He also talked about the idea of playing for Charlie Strong at Texas, a move that didn’t seem possible with the Irish opening up against the Longhorns to start the season.

“It was pretty awkward, but it was kind of expected. It would’ve been interesting to see Texas,” Golson told Fox Sports. They (Notre Dame) basically limited me to the schools that we wouldn’t play. I wasn’t really surprised by it.”

But those early reports that had Notre Dame over-zealously blocking scholarship opportunities didn’t turn out to be a reality. Golson actually appreciated how Notre Dame’s staff and compliance team helped him work his way through the process.

But Golson’s most interesting comments pertain to his new relationship with Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher. Here’s Golson’s initial reaction to meeting with the Florida State head coach.

“One of the things I was looking for in a coach was for him to be genuine,” Golson said. “What he’s built there at Florida State really sold itself before I started really looking. Actually sitting down and talking to him, I felt like he was gonna shoot me straight and he was a genuine guy. If you’re not doing so well, he’s gonna tell you, and if you are doing well, he’s gonna tell you that, too. I can really respect a guy like that.

“For me, it all started with him being genuine and for me to be able to (play) free again. I think that’s what I lost sight of last season. At the beginning of the season, I was playing free. I was having fun. Closer to the end of the season, it kinda came to feel like a burden.”

While Golson didn’t say a thing about his previous head coach in this statement, what he did say certainly tells the story. While there’s certainly a danger of reading too far into these comments, it’s hard not to wonder what Golson is saying about his past coach when he’s saying this about his new one.

And while he made it clear that being coached hard wasn’t an issue (Fisher has done that plenty, too) “playing free” was the goal. (Though it certainly feels a lot like how Golson played down the stretch, turning a hot start into a turnover-plagued mess as the Irish’s offensive leader couldn’t get out of his own way.)

Golson talked about the mistakes and 22 turnovers piling up, and how he plans on making sure that’s not the case in 2015.

“It was me just not taking care of the ball. It was me trying to do too much at times,” Golson told Feldman. “Not giving up on plays. Me trying to escape the pocket and not keeping two hands on the ball. Just being real careless. Lots of little detail stuff. And that costs us a little bit. At the end of the day what didn’t happen was me getting back to the fundamentals.”

In the end, while all parties involved have said the right thing—Golson included—it’s hard not to conclude that this split is mostly about Golson wanting a change of scenery. As someone who worked through significant adversity to earn his degree from Notre Dame, Golson certainly earned that opportunity.

So while it’s hard for certain Notre Dame fans to understand how a quarterback could walk away from a loaded depth chart and a strong returning roster to take a leap into the unknown, Golson has already done it.

Everett Golson left Notre Dame for Florida State. Degree in hand, free agency well earned. But for some who thought Golson left South Bend because he wanted nothing to do with a quarterback competition that Malik Zaire seemed to embrace, the fifth-year quarterback’s arrival in Tallahassee won’t mark the end of a position battle.

Golson left a competition for the starting quarterback job at Notre Dame for the vacancy Jameis Winston left behind at Florida State. And Jimbo Fisher apparently made it clear that he welcomed the Irish transfer to campus, but guaranteed him little more than a shot at the starting job.

“Controversy and competition is two different things. It’s competition,” Fisher told the AP’s Ralph Russo. “And players on the team, when a guy is a competitor and he does well — whether it’s Sean [Maguire], it’s Everett, it’s De’Andre [Johnson], it’s J.J. [Consentino], it’s Deondre Francois — whoever is on our team, they’ll follow the guys who play the best, respond the best and lead them the best.”

There’s few who doubt that Golson will win the starting job in short order. But then again, few looked at Notre Dame’s spring practice and saw a job that didn’t look like Golson’s, either.

So as we step back and look at Golson’s decision to start anew, it’s worth looking closer at the relationship with the quarterback and his head coach, and also the instability at the top of the offense, with Golson asked to establish yet another relationship in the more-than-fluid offensive leadership under head coach Brian Kelly.

While Golson only played in one system at Notre Dame, he had multiple teachers. During his freshman year, Charley Molnar was the quarterback coach and offensive coordinator. After Molnar left to take over the UMass program, Chuck Martin ran the offense and the position during Notre Dame’s 2012 BCS title game run.

After Golson’s academic detour in the 2013 season, he returned to a reshuffled coaching staff after Martin took the head coaching job at Miami (Ohio). Golson was then working under Mike Denbrock‘s leadership with new quarterback coach Matt LaFleur asked to work on technique and position responsibilities with Golson and a young depth chart.

LaFleur’s short stay in South Bend was a misstep for Kelly, the young assistant happier in the professional game and returning to work with Kyle Shanahan. Enter another young offensive assistant in Mike Sanford, who had just weeks to build and develop a relationship with his embattled starting quarterback, and it’s fair to consider these factors when people talk about Golson going to learn and work with completely new coaches.

Of course, Golson’s primary coach has always been Kelly. From Day One, the Irish head coach has kept Golson’s tutelage under his purview. And as Kelly moves forward running the Irish program, the head coach needs to take a step back and access whether that arrangement serves his football team best.

Multiple sources close to Golson cite the head coach-player relationship as a significant factor in Golson’s decision to depart. And while some fans would point out that Kelly stuck by and believed in Golson for far longer than any reasonable coach should have, the decision to seek a clean slate was one that hinged on the working relationship between the two men most responsible for the offense’s efficiency.

With Sanford’s arrival and the addition of off-field resources like former Buffalo head coach Jeff Quinn, there’s no shortage of proven offensive leaders in the Notre Dame coaching room. And while Kelly’s DNA won’t change from that of an offensive coach, given a new opportunity to work with Zaire, perhaps the singular nature of the relationship between head coach and his quarterback will change.

All that being said, Kelly isn’t the first head coach to tightly manage the quarterback position. Successful coaches at every level establish that bond with their quarterback, and if there’s any blame to assign—or any perceived failure in Golson deciding to leave—it’s fair to put some of that on the quarterback’s shoulders.

Golson isn’t a guy completely comfortable in the spotlight. And in a program and playing a position where eyes are always watching, the minor details—things like body language on the sideline and press conference demeanor—end up being fair game. And as the mistakes piled up last season, Golson became less and less able to deal with the adversity, finally benched after a flat-line performance against the Irish’s biggest rival in USC.

Even if his season ground to a halt before playing well in limited minutes against LSU, there’s no reason to think that Golson won’t have a good season at Florida State. For all the worries that the offense is too complex and Golson’s timeline is too truncated, this is an offense that allowed players like JaMarcus Russell to thrive, and turned mediocre NFL players like Christian Ponder and EJ Manuel into first-round picks. Golson’s a smart kid with better-than-most skills. He’ll be just fine.

So while Notre Dame fans can only wonder what the Irish offense would’ve looked like with the 1-2 punch of Golson and Zaire, it’s one thing to embrace an unknown quarterback platoon as a fan. It’s an entirely different thing to do it as a player, especially one that hopes to continue his career at the next level.

Golson’s move to Florida State will certainly cut both ways when NFL talent evaluators access his abilities—both to play and to lead at the next level. So while Golson made one difficult decision when he decided to leave South Bend, he faces another set of challenges at Florida State.

The dust has settled. Everett Golson is leaving Notre Dame. So while the rest of the story will take chase—the wheres and the whys eventually coming out—the only thing that’s important for the Irish is looking at what remains, and how the program moves on from here.

On paper—and that’s all this decision has been with volleying written statements of gratitude from Golson and head coach Brian Kelly—things become far simpler for the Irish offense, though the margin for error is eliminated.

Malik Zaire is the starting quarterback. And as Kelly said in his statement, he’s got “supreme confidence” in his third-year sophomore quarterback.

So let’s take a look at a few different angles as we explore Golson’s departure.

You can’t blame Golson. But you certainly can judge him.

With a final season of eligibility remaining and a deep desire to put himself in position to be an NFL quarterback, Golson ultimately didn’t believe his best opportunity to do that was at Notre Dame.

“I have decided that it is in my best interest to graduate from Notre Dame and transfer to another school effectively immediately,” Golson said in his statement.

That move comes with consequences.

Golson’s legacy is now a complicated one. He’ll join Dayne Crist and Andrew Hendrix as quarterbacks in the modern era who ended their once-promising careers at another school. But unlike those two, Golson accomplished impressive things—though leaving before he had a chance to cement his legacy certainly earns him no historic favor.

A fifth-year in the program would’ve given Golson a chance to make a run at some impressive statistical numbers, especially surrounded by this personnel. More importantly, Golson could lead the Irish into a lofty postseason game—a second appearance reserving him a spot among the elite quarterbacks at Notre Dame.

Legacy is a difficult concept to grasp as a 22-year-old. And it certainly doesn’t pay the bills once you leave South Bend.

But after receiving universal praise for battling back from his academic suspension and returning to Notre Dame, it’s more than fair to criticize this decision as an easy way out, even while it may very well escalate his 2015 season’s degree of difficulty.

It’s time to recalibrate some offensive expectations.

In the day-after analysis game, there are some winners and losers that jump to mind. Zaire the most obvious winner of them all. Notre Dame’s best offensive leader will now be the captain of the ship—a desire he made clear from Day One of this competition.

But while Golson’s connection with rising junior Will Fuller in the Blue-Gold game served as the game’s biggest play, this certainly isn’t good news for Fuller’s stat line or the passing offense. While Fuller will get his opportunities to take the top off of a defense, you’ve got to think that the sheer number of balls coming his way (not to mention successfully completed) will be down significantly. That will trickle down to Chris Brown, Corey Robinson and the rest of a talented receiving corps, with the untested tight ends potentially getting more involvement.

Harry Hiestand’s meeting room likely isn’t wallowing in sorrow. As an offensive line, a 230-pound sledgehammer of a quarterback that serves as a trigger man for a devastating zone-read running game is a dream come true. No need to try finessing anybody up front. The trenches will be a fist fight, one that fits the personality of this group—and now offense—just fine.

While we will all inevitably dig into the LSU game to look for clues as to how this offense will look, the one-game sample was never a good predictor. And it certainly won’t be with DeShone Kizer and Brandon Wimbush serving as primary backups.

So expect Zaire to be put on a proverbial pitch count when it comes to running the football, and expect the three-headed monster of Tarean Folston, Greg Bryant and C.J. Prosise to be more than happy to pick up the slack.

The plans for Brandon Wimbush have changed.

Even as the crown-jewel of the 2015 recruiting class, incoming freshman Brandon Wimbush expected to spend his freshman year learning. That’s not the case anymore, with Wimbush now likely thrown into the backup quarterback battle with Kizer, who didn’t necessarily have the best of spring games.

Wimbush spoke with the South Bend Tribune about the transfer news, candidly discussing how it’ll change his early college experience.

“I was really shocked,” Wimbush told the Tribune‘s Tyler James. “It gives me an opportunity, which I’m excited for, but I’m kind of disappointed that he left because I wanted to be able to learn under him.

“I wanted to redshirt. I had the mindset of coming in and redshirting and being able to learn and get acclimated for a year. With this, my mind changed immediately. My mindset really did change quickly as soon as I heard it.”

Wimbush hits campus in early June. From there, it’ll be straight to the deep end, working with offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford to master the offense as quickly as possible, though it’s still far from ideal to have any young quarterback—highly touted or not—as part of the game plan.

There’s a lesson to be learned here for Brian Kelly.

From the moment Golson set foot on campus, he was the apple of Kelly’s eye. And perhaps that created a blind spot for a head coach who has otherwise had 20-20 vision.

After inheriting a depth chart filled with quarterbacks that didn’t resemble his prototype, Golson was the solution. And after a redshirt season spent grooming, Golson won a three-man race that turned into the 2012 season—a year where both the head coach and quarterback flourished.

But after Golson’s academic departure essentially cost the Irish a potentially great 2013 season, the quarterback came back and Kelly acted like nothing had happened. That approach worked when wide receiver Michael Floyd spent spring practice in limbo and then made the most out of his second chance. But it didn’t at the quarterback position and the team suffered for it.

Kelly hung tight with Golson last season longer than just about anybody else would have. And while none of us were in practice or meeting rooms watching Zaire prepare for his chance to play, when Golson finally flamed out against USC, it was clear that the team took to Zaire’s energy and playing style immediately.

Entering this spring, Kelly once again appeased Golson, taking him out of the media availability circuit, allowing him to focus on football and academics—a decision that certainly spared Golson from talking about the elephant in the room.

And with Kelly, associate head coach Mike Denbrock and new offensive coordinator Mike Sanford all praising Golson for his work ethic and commitment this spring, it still ended up with the quarterback’s departure.

Credit Kelly for finally being honest with his quarterback—even if it came too late to salvage 2014. (And really, unless Malik Zaire could play linebacker like Joe Schmidt, that season wasn’t going to be salvaged.)

Kelly could’ve told Golson whatever he needed to to keep him on campus. But with the potential for a great season in 2015 with either quarterback behind center, Kelly considered the other 84 scholarship players on the roster instead of the one who had only gotten his way.

Competition is only the lifeblood of a program if it’s happening at every position. And if Golson wasn’t comfortable competing, he’s better off playing somewhere else.

The Malik Zaire era has begun.

Golson’s departure means Kelly is still hunting for his first multi-year, consecutive-seasoned starter, crazy when you consider he’s entering his sixth season.

Enter Malik Zaire.

Whether it was Plan A or not, Zaire has the chance to be a three-year starter and a multi-year captain for the Irish, the perfect lead-from-the-front, face-of-the-program type quarterback that Golson was never comfortable being.

Now Zaire needs to show the maturity to handle the spotlight. That means no more emotional tweets of the less-than-cryptic variety, that will certainly serve as an earthquake amongst the far from stable segment of this fanbase that still expects the worst when it comes to this program.

It also means growing into the quarterback Notre Dame needs. While Zaire will be the perfect runner in the Irish system, if the offense will be optimized, it’ll require a dedication to the craft of quarterbacking. That means a better mastery of the mid-level passing game and a deeper understanding of the playbook.

Zaire can get away with a late throw playing against USC reserves trailing by multiple touchdowns. He can’t playing against the Trojans in mid-October with an undefeated season on the line. Or on a 3rd-and short in the red zone when the line of scrimmage is stacked and expecting a run.

While the woe-is-me crowd will look at Golson’s departure as another sign that the gods are conspiring against the Irish, the reality is far from it.

Simply put, Golson looked into the future and didn’t like what he saw.

While dodging competition certainly doesn’t seem like the best way to make it to the NFL, the decision has been made and the Irish are moving forward with Zaire. Now it’s up to the brash and confident young quarterback to prove he was a leading man all along.

No position had a microscope on it like quarterback did this spring. In one of the country’s most-watched position battles, Everett Golson and Malik Zaire began their work with new offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Mike Sanford… and—well, that was about it.

For those who had expected a true battle for the No. 1 quarterback job, you have only yourself to be disappointed with. Because it was always Brian Kelly’s intent to develop both Golson and Zaire this spring, not eliminate one of them from the depth chart.

For Golson, the end of last season had many wondering if he was out the door once he received his diploma. For Zaire, quality performances against USC and LSU— and a powerful running style—had turned him into the people’s champion. But both had plenty of areas for improvement, keeping the focus on the here and now even with all eyes looking forward.

Finals are just around the corner, with graduation weekend set for mid-May. While no stock report will be complete until then, let’s take a look at where the quarterback depth chart sits after spring practice.

Malik Zaire: While it’s difficult to push Zaire into a virtual dead heat with Golson atop the depth chart, it’s also difficult to find much wrong with the work the young quarterback did this spring. After more than patiently waiting his turn in 2014, Zaire exploded onto the scene in the season’s final two games, and he took that momentum with him into spring practice.

Zaire spent the spring working on his deficiencies. Right now, that’s in the passing game—specifically throwing the ball with proper timing and accuracy on the intermediate routes. There’s no question he’s a significant step behind Golson in that area, a fairly important one at the quarterback position.

But Zaire’s also made it clear that he’s taking leadership seriously. After Kelly chided Zaire last season by joking that he wasn’t falling asleep while eating Chipotle in quarterback meetings after he became a part of the game plan, it’s clear that whether it was a joke or not, Zaire wasn’t living up to the standard that Kelly set for the team’s most important position. And the young quarterback has certainly got the message.

We saw that on the field late last season, with Zaire willing the Irish to victory against LSU. We saw it again this spring, with Zaire unabashed about his intention to be the team’s starting quarterback, and then practicing like it.

As a runner, Zaire has no equal at the position. As we saw with his perfect deep ball to Will Fuller, the vertical passing game will be just fine as well if he’s under center. And while he’s still probably a stride or two behind Golson in the race for the job, it was a successful spring practice for one of the most important players on the roster.

Mike Sanford: No, he’s not an actual quarterback. But the work the team’s quarterback coach did with his players this spring deserves mention.

We saw cleaned up footwork in the zone read game, a key to Everett Golson’s season. We saw more focus on the fundamentals. And we probably took for granted just how much work Sanford had to do this spring, all while getting to know the three quarterbacks in his position room.

Ultimately, we’ll know if the teaching took hold when we watch the position play in the spring. But after a Blue-Gold game with no turnovers*, it was a great step in the right direction.

STOCK NEUTRAL

Everett Golson: Brian Kelly called this Everett Golson’s best spring since he’s been at Notre Dame. That alone would usually earn you a “buy” grade, but none of that matters until after May 15.

If Golson returns for summer school and to the Irish, it was a successful spring, and a tremendous job by the coaching staff navigating a very tricky situation. But until then, consider this the ultimate wait-and-see proposition. The ceiling of the 2015 football team is very much still in flux until a decision is officially made.

(It’s worth pointing out that Golson has said all along that he wasn’t going anywhere.)

On the field, Golson looked much better running the football in the zone read game, improved footwork at the mesh point on display during the Blue-Gold game. He protected the football better when he was a runner, something that’s absolutely necessary if he wants to stay on the field. While Kelly said his pocket presence improved, it’s worth pointing out that so did his offensive line and running game. Those two things go hand-in-hand with Golson standing tall in the pocket.

At his best, Golson is one of the finest quarterbacks in college football. At his worst, he’ll be wearing a baseball cap helping call in plays as he watches Zaire run the show. While just about every datapoint suggests he’ll be back in South Bend for the 2015 season, until it’s official, we’re staying neutral on this one.

DeShone Kizer: It’s never easy to be the guy on the outside of a two-quarterback battle. But for Kizer, this spring was about learning a new set of fundamentals, and honing his craft for the future.

With Brandon Wimbush on his way in this summer, the battle behind Golson and Zaire will certainly get more competitive. But any drop in Kizer’s hypothetical stock would mostly be a product of recruiting buzz, not anything that happened inside the program. And next year—or whenever the Irish get their next blue-chip recruiting pledge—we’ll start forgetting about Wimbush, too, until he makes a move in South Bend, not on a 5-star list.

Given significant snaps in the second half of the Blue-Gold game, Kizer didn’t wow anybody. He was just one of five passing before giving way to Montgomery VanGorder, a disappointing stat line regardless of context. (But then again, you could understand if Kizer’s head wasn’t 100 percent in it this spring.)

But Kizer has all the physical attributes you’re looking for in a quarterback. So with some time to develop, Kizer is a long play that didn’t do anything to push himself off track.

OVERALL TREND

Hold. This rating changes to a buy the minute Golson decides to return, and stays the same even if he doesn’t. With Brandon Wimbush coming in, the Irish will have a four-man scholarship depth chart among the best in the country.

But if Golson departs and it’s Zaire alone at the top, it’s among the most dangerous depth chart’s Kelly’s had since the Crist/Rees years. While Zaire as a starter wouldn’t change the ceiling of this team, any injury to him turns into a dangerous scenario, and could rob the offense of its biggest asset, a power running game built with a quarterback in the mix.

Spring practice is in the books. The Blue-Gold game is history. (Not here, we’ll talk about that thing all week…)

So after a frantic few months in the Gug, the focus of Notre Dame’s rebuilt offensive staff can change from planning practices to… planning—well, just about everything.

Brian Kelly‘s three-headed monster atop the offensive meeting room can stop and breathe for a bit. With new OC and quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford still unpacking his things in South Bend, the man charged with turning the room upside down can now go about officially finding his place in a room that’s likely—and understandably—plenty cluttered right now.

The 2015 calendar year has been a whirlwind for Sanford. A new job, a new son, a new house in a new city—not to mention learning a new offense.

So while we’ve spent most of our time wondering about playcalling duties next fall and Mike Denbrock‘s role in the offense now that he’s associate head coach, Kelly spent some time after the Blue-Gold game clarifying how things will look moving forward, pumping the brakes on any official gameday duties with over four months before the Irish take their next meaningful snap.

“I said this I think when we were here [introducing Sanford], that his focus right now is we’ve got two very, very good quarterbacks,” Kelly explained on Saturday. “His focus is on our quarterbacks right now and learning the offense and that’s job one. The next job will be obviously continue to grow and learn the offense so there’s play calling opportunities there. Mike Denbrock right now is running the entire offense. Those are his calls and his decisions to make.”

For some, that news is a shocker and feels a little bit like walking back on the bold declarations both Kelly and Denbrock made after Sanford’s move to South Bend became official. But logistically, the objectives of the spring and where Notre Dame’s offense needs to be next fall are two incredibly different things. So credit Kelly (not to mention Sanford and Denbrock) for understanding that and getting the entire offensive staff and personnel to buy in.

Job one for Sanford was the most important one of any staff member working for Kelly: Engaging both Everett Golson and Malik Zaire. Make them both believe they could and should win the starting job, while also making them better quarterbacks.

We heard about the lengths Sanford went to do that, grading and breaking down every practice snap. We also saw some of that progress on Saturday from both quarterbacks.

Golson displayed much better technique in the zone-read game with vastly-improved footwork and depth in the pocket while also protecting the ball as a runner. He made quick decisions and some solid throws moving the chains. After a head-scratching opening throw by Zaire, the challenger did all you could ask of him, dropping a dime on a perfect deep throw to Will Fuller while carrying the load as a runner and ball carrier.

Just as important, after 15 practices, you have to feel like the odds of both Golson and Zaire spending next season as Notre Dame quarterbacks got considerably better, Task A, B and C for Sanford if we’re being honest about spring’s true objectives.

“Mike [Sanford] really is somebody capable of doing all of those things, but not at this time. His focus right now is working with the quarterbacks. And so when we put a timetable on it, right now I’m more ready to be the play caller until all these guys are in a position where they can take more of a role offensively. That’s just a matter of where we are right now because most of Mike’s time has been developing the quarterbacks.”

Sanford’s got four months to learn the offense and settle into his role—whatever that may be on Saturday. Until then, it was all about making sure both Golson and Zaire improved.

In their first televised dress rehearsal, things went well. On a Saturday where Alabama’s offense turned the ball over six times in their spring game, the Irish’s only turnover came when Kelly told safety Max Redfield the play in advance.

So settle in, coaches. Because come Texas on September 5, that’s when things will start counting.